The Asheville citizen. [volume] (Asheville, N.C.) 1885-1889, 1887-10-19

up towards the sky, little stretch of
imagination was needed to convert them
'nto bevy of little angels lighting down
upon a spot where earthly nature was in
| all its unsullied purity. Their parents
soon emerged al3o from the thlcket.
Imagination gave way to plain matter of
| fact, soon was on pleasant terIus with
the little girls, and found they were on
this long rough ramble tor days sport
in gathering chestnuts.
Finishing our lunch, we assembled the
Second Bald, and then l began to study
the topography of the scene Tusquittee
Bald, instead of one summit, has four,
| five in fact, including the naked, narrow
{ ledge of the Signal station, the highest,
by few feet, of ALL The mountain rises
| from its base on the Hiawassee river, and
rises with rapid ascent, the course being
from southwest to northeast. When it
reaches the normal height, it is scrrated
by these four or five Balds which are sep
arated from each other by broad glady
isthmus, the surface of which, connecting
the balds, is a broad sweeping curve, the
outer edges of which border upon tremen.
dous abysses There is little difference
! in the height of these They stand ahoe;
la half q mile apart and are singularly
| alike in contour, which is smooth and
domelikc, except that the slopes on the
southern sides is longer and sleeper. AT
the fourth Bald, there is Il turn almost to
the usual distance of half mile to the
Signal summit. Here was stationed for Il
long time the party of U. S. engineers
referred to; and they have left rs Il
standing memcnto of their work a token
in the shape of four trees, stripped of
limbs and braccd together to resist the
wind This bald is a very narrow one.
nd ic nl,,nsf 1racipitNuc A
little North of it, it breaks down into IL
rough, rocky, and very narrow ledge,
following which | was brought O the
most striking point of view hal seen.
This ledge divides the valle"s or rather
gorges of Fires and Chogec creeks, and
gradually narruws down for many yards
until it is not more than twenty feet wide.
On the Chogee side parapct Ut slate
rock elevates itself at an angle of about l5
feet, affOrding security TO look over into
the depth below. There twelve or fifteen
hundred feet down is the basin or valley
of Ch0gee. The rock over which We look
is nearly perpendicular, but inclined suffi =
ciently to give growth to the densest lau
rel ever saw, and also other shrubbery.
Th laurel is the RhOdOdendrOn Catawbi-
ense, with its splendid scarlet flower, un
| known on lower elevations. This valley
is an amphitheatre, enclosed on three
sides by steep high mountains but open
to the North in which direction ChOgcc
Creek finds its way to the Nantahala river.
The sides of the mountain are heavily
timbcred with decidious and evergreen
trees, among which the hemlock predOmi
mates. The bottom of the valley, also
heavily timbered, is so covered with laurel
brakes as to be practically impenctrablc.
1t remains still the haunt of the bear, for
! boI hounn1 thn roach of IA hnDtnr
who turns back IN despair as he tries in
vain to crawl through the dense and end
| less thicket
Looking down into these depths, theI
savagencss was beautifully redeemed by
the splendors of the autumn foliage. which
was of a richness ard brilliancy | have
never seen equalled. The frequency of
evergreen gave rich blending Of snDrIety
to the ColOring of thcir dazzling magHifi-
ccnce.
Looking down into the depths of the
ChoSee, and then turning 10 the deep
gorge of Fires Creek it occurred to me
That railroad engineers had missed, pos
sibly, the most feasible and economical
route from the Nantahala river to Mul.
ply. Chogec empties into the Nantahala;
Fires Creek into HiWassee, which uniteS
at Murphy with Valley river From the
mouth ofChogce to the Nantaha IL at Jai-
rats Is twelve miles. Six miles of that
from HowaIds bridge down. is an easy
way. The remaining six is not much
more difficult than work done on the rlv
e. below Jarratts. Up Chogee to the fool
CT the prrcipice | have mentioned has no
engineering difficulties of grades, curves
or cuts the laurel thic&et being slight
obstacle to such work. At the base OF The
prccipice. Il tunnel opened to Fine, Greek
gorge wOul not exceed 2O00 te"i.
Through that line could be run to iii
waSSee al AN easy grade, ana thence To
Murphy at water luvci.
Engineers may have examined this
:out", If So. have never heard of ii.
Adopting il. all the costly ascent np I"
Red Marble Gap. and thG descent dowh
Valley river would have been avoided
Lave left myself 10 space u speak of
the outlook from thetop of the TuSqnitlce
Bald | can EOw only add thai 1t ns mag
nificent and comprehensive us might be
assumed from such elevation. II gave ma
the fullest idea have eve. had of the cX
tent and grandeurOt the mountain tormH
ton Ii WAS mnu tain and srCceSSnn
of mountains in all directions. Tne no
kics extend massive almost unbrONen
line from the northeast in sweeping semi
circle far down to the southwest. Beyond
thcm to the northwest stand out the Cum
berland mountains on the western verge
ofEast Tennessee; while to the southwest
long lines of chains fade away into dis
tarcc of mountains beyond what | had
be.n willing to ascribe TO that section.
Georgia puts up II very formid ib.c claim
to dispute with North Carolina, Tie pos
session Of many and magnificent noun
tains, to the end of which the eye does
not reach Welook down into Georgia; il
is at our feet; but beyond that. there
seems no end of the mountain. To the
east, close neighbors, are the Nantahala
mountains, beyond them the parallel
Cowee range are still farther off and
overlapping all, the Balsom Chain with
Scott'S Gap and the railroad crossing
Plainly in view. Itis mountain wilder
ness to which the valleys bear insignificant
proportions; but not chaos, for the per-
feet symmetry and harmony of the vari-
Gus systems form wonderfully striking
feature. &.
SnR%Aa iEn a Drug Store.